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Friday, April 15, 2016

Lost In Translation - Or Not

Church signs can be lots of fun to read and I love the humor behind many of them. For instance one I passed this week: Come back! He's still alive! Obviously a call to those who only go to church on Christmas and Easter. As we travel to countries where English is not the everyday language and signs need to be translated for English speaking travelers they can get quite humorous as well. Here are a few I found reported by other travelers.

At a Budapest zoo: Please do not feed the animals. If you have any suitable food, give it to the guard.

Information on a hotel air conditioner in Japan: Cooles and heates. If you want condition of warm air in your room please control yourself.

Advertisement from a Hong Kong dentist: Teeth extracted by the latest Methodists.

On the box of a clockwork toy made in China: Guaranteed to work throughout its useful life.

But my favorite sign, even though I think it translated well, was the one we found in Turkey that was over a table full of wristwatches. The sign read: Fake Watches! Ah, finally. Truth in advertising.